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Center for Used Fuel Research: Building confidence in storage and transport
Used nuclear fuel storage and transportation have reached a critical juncture.
Dozens of utilities need reliable data on how used nuclear fuel performs in dry storage casks and canisters to extend regulatory licenses at sites across the United States. Likewise, the Department of Energy expects to take ownership of the used nuclear fuel—termed “spent nuclear fuel” in the laws and regulations governing its stewardship—and transfer it to one or more federal staging facilities for management and disposition.
Meanwhile, dozens of reactor companies are testing prototypes of advanced reactors and advanced reactor fuels. Eventually, regulators and industry must also verify the safety and security of storage methods for these advanced fuel types.
To help address these challenges, the DOE established the Center for Used Fuel Research (CUFR) in January 2026 for work related to the long-term storage and transport of used nuclear fuel.
Yanhui Wang, Qiao Jiang, Yexin Yang, Jianfeng Cheng, Chenyang Bao, Yuelong Pan, Yu Liu, Gang Yang, Yangchun Leng, Xianguo Tuo
Nuclear Technology | Volume 208 | Number 12 | December 2022 | Pages 1894-1907
Technical Note | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2022.2083749
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The alteration of the morphology of bentonite, a key barrier to isolating high-level radioactive waste in deep geological repositories under long-term interaction with groundwater, was studied. Bentonite colloids were prepared from Gaomiaozi bentonite, and its various properties were analyzed by various characterization methods. The effects of various factors on the adsorption of Cs(I) and Co(II) on bentonite colloids were investigated by batch static adsorption experiments. The results showed that the colloids were mainly composed of montmorillonite and were lamellar in shape, with a zeta potential of −enton mV and an average size of approximately 209.10 nm. The adsorption of Cs(I) and Co(II) by the colloids was a rapid process, and 31.78 and 88.24 mg/g, respectively, were adsorbed at equilibrium. Pseudo-second-order kinetic fitting showed that chemisorption plays a dominant role and acid-base interactions affect adsorption by influencing the stability of colloids and the chemical form of simulated nuclides. This work can be helpful for evaluating the safety of waste repositories.